The following story ran first on The Politician, the political newspaper of The Rider Online. Check The Politician often for updates on the upcoming 2016 presidential election as well as other political news.
A viral petition created by Scottish resident Suzanne Kelly to ban Republican frontrunner Donald Trump from entering the United Kingdom has engendered Trump to threaten to withdraw substantial investments in Scotland if the British Parliament decides to act upon it. The petition was initiated at Kelly’s disgust at Trump’s “hate speech” against banning all Muslims from entering the United States following the San Bernardino shootings.
“The more I looked at Donald Trump and the remarks he has made before entering the presidential race, the more my hackles were rising. This man is no longer a joke in the corner, but someone who is aiming to become leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world,” Kelly said to The Guardian.
The United Kingdom responded to the overwhelming response to the petition, over 570,000 signatures, with a statement reaffirming that Home Secretary Theresa May has the power to “exclude a non-European Economic Area national from the UK if she considers their presence in the UK to be non-conducive to the public good.” However, the statement did not name the tycoon so it is unknown whether or not the government has considered officially banning him.
For the same reason as Kelly, Germans have also called for a push to ban Trump from entering the country by forming a petition.
The Trump Organization responded by saying that banning him would “create a dangerous precedent and send a terrible message to the world that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment.”
Over $1 billion in withdrawn investments would affect Scotland if Trump officially becomes banned. This large sum would indefinitely cause some economic instability.
Trump’s eligibility to enter the UK will be determined during a debate scheduled on Jan. 18 by the British Parliament.
